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Filming National Parks From Outside

For the Horseshoe Bend, not only the sign but a hill which will make you loose RC for sure (apart than VLOS) so...it would be difficult...I guess...
Maybe a Litchi Waypoint Mission well prepared would be amazing....

A real pity, because it should be one of the best for filming...
 
Horseshoe Bend. There is a sign between the parking and the view point saying drones are not allowed
Yes but we're talking about droning it from the outside.

And besides, if it's not a national park do any of those "no drone" signs have the force of law?

Lots of places in the USA have "no guns allowed" signs on their doors, for example, but there are no legal repercussions if you're caught conceal carrying there. They can ask you to leave, but that's the only risk you run. Just an example.......
 
The town of Springdale is adjacent to the West entrance for Zion canyon national Park. I can picture in my mind the Northwest side of that town, some little hills you could climb that would give you good LOS into Zion Canyon.

You actually could get some good footage without crossing the park boundary, and that is what I would probably do.

The downside of having the town right there is that there are lots of people around, on both sides of the park boundary, and the first thing you come to upon crossing the boundary is the visitor center, parking lot, and campground.

You could stay North/West or South/West of those areas though, so you wouldn't be over people.

However, you don't need to cross the boundary to get some impressive shots, the canyon walls are 1,500 feet above you anyways, so staying further back let's you frame more of the canyon in the shot.

A few years ago a helicopter pilot pulled a stunt of landing in the town of Springdale, picking up a friend, then flying into the park. When he flew back out of the park and dropped his friend off in the town, the rangers got a good look at his tail number. The cops were waiting to arrest him at the St George airport 15 minutes later when he landed. I think one of the charges was something to do with the airspace, so even though the blanket NPS restriction kind if indicates you can fly from outside the park, and cross the boundary, there may be other specific restrictions that would apply (as well as restrictions against harassing wildlife etc that the rangers could hit you with).

Or go up Kolab Res rd in Virgin and into the West side of Zion, owned 30 acres there for 15yrs great place to check out!
 
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I'm definitely going to push my limits this spring to get footage even tho I haven't updated my geo fence.
 
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I'm definitely going to push my limits this spring to get footage even tho I haven't updated my geo fence.

As I mention to certain people, like here in CA it's illegal to text and drive, yet 80% do it and its o so more dangerous the 95% of anything ever done by most rc people. Using common sense works most the time ;)
 
And besides, if it's not a national park do any of those "no drone" signs have the force of law?

Lots of places in the USA have "no guns allowed" signs on their doors, for example, but there are no legal repercussions if you're caught conceal carrying there. They can ask you to leave, but that's the only risk you run. Just an example.......

When they are backed up by laws and regulations... 100% yes. In some cases those signs are required in order to make the law valid. In most cases they are simply to remind people of the law that they are required to know. These laws are going to mainly apply to public property. What you mention is for private property. See a sign stating no guns allowed in a public courthouse and get caught with one. See what happens.
 
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WRT the "no drone" signs that have started popping up everywhere, aside from U.S. National Parks I would be VERY surprised if any of those are backed up by laws of any kind.

But feel free to prove me wrong on that. :)
 
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Tcope can you go troll someone else's threads?

Your posts are always really dumb.

Thanks :)

Feel free to use the block feature built into the board. Your posts are public and anyone can feel free to reply.

Thanks.
 
Guys let's not start getting argumentative in this .
Isn't necessary . Just remember to..
IMG_7921.JPG
 
I don't usually agree with flight restrictions, especially unreasonable ones. I agree with most of the National Parks restrictions, but I'm sure there are very secluded and relatively unpopulated areas within many of the parks that would be safe to fly, if they would allow it. But blanket regulations are easier to keep track of and enforce I'd guess. I'm pretty sure states and cities can enact their own rules in their respective parks, probably punishable with fines. When those situations arise, we'll just have to launch and land outside of these areas. We can fly in the airspace over the land, and that hopefully will be good enough to get the shot we're looking for.
 
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Maybe this thread can be a repository of ideas for good parks to film from the outside.

Anyone have any more ideas?
 
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Yes but we're talking about droning it from the outside.

And besides, if it's not a national park do any of those "no drone" signs have the force of law?

Lots of places in the USA have "no guns allowed" signs on their doors, for example, but there are no legal repercussions if you're caught conceal carrying there. They can ask you to leave, but that's the only risk you run. Just an example.......

The National Park Service rules apply not just in National Parks but also in any area administered by the Park Service. In this case it's in the Glen Canyon National Recreation are which is run by the NPS.

And yes you can be cited and fined by federal law for violating the rules.
 
The National Park Service rules apply not just in National Parks but also in any area administered by the Park Service. In this case it's in the Glen Canyon National Recreation are which is run by the NPS.

And yes you can be cited and fined by federal law for violating the rules.
Source for that first claim?

I thought it was only National Parks.
 
Source for that first claim?

I thought it was only National Parks.

I'm on the road right now but will look it up and post at the end of the week. In the meantime if you google "National Recreation Areas Drone Rules" you can probably find it.
 
Joshua Tree National Park/Monument, AZ, is very remote and beautiful. No people to fly over, just trees. So no hassle. If you want to stretch the law a bit I recommend flying just before and after sunrise. Not only is the light at its best, there's usually no officials or other people around that will bother you or that you could endanger.

Happy, safe flying
 
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Joshua Tree National Park/Monument, AZ, is very remote and beautiful. No people to fly over, just trees. So no hassle. If you want to stretch the law a bit I recommend flying just before and after sunrise. Not only is the light at its best, there's usually no officials or other people around that will bother you or that you could endanger.

Happy, safe flying

Joshua Tree is in CA here is the 10 at that exit I shot

SkyPixel - Connecting Creativity
 
Source for that first claim?

I thought it was only National Parks.

Here are some references. First is the memorandum that established the drone bane in National Park Service Units.

The important text is: As used in this Policy Memorandum and its exhibits, the term “park” means any unit of the National Park System.

Next, to understand what "all units" means, you can see the following at this link: Designations of National Park System Units - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)

Designations of National Park System Units
The numerous designations within the National Park System sometime confuse visitors. The names are created in the Congressional legislation authorizing the sites or by the president, who proclaims "national monuments" under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Many names are descriptive—lakeshores, seashores, battlefields—but others cannot be neatly categorized because of the diversity of resources within them. In 1970, Congress elaborated on the 1916 National Park Service Organic Act, saying all units of the system have equal legal standing in a national system.

National Park

These are generally large natural places having a wide variety of attributes, at times including significant historic assets. Hunting, mining and consumptive activities are not authorized.

National Monument

The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorized the President to declare by public proclamation landmarks, structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest situated on lands owned or controlled by the government to be national monuments.

National Preserve

National preserves are areas having characteristics associated with national parks, but in which Congress has permitted continued public hunting, trapping, oil/gas exploration and extraction. Many existing national preserves, without sport hunting, would qualify for national park designation.

National Historic Site

Usually, a national historic site contains a single historical feature that was directly associated with its subject. Derived from the Historic Sites Act of 1935, a number of historic sites were established by secretaries of the Interior, but most have been authorized by acts of Congress.

National Historical Park

This designation generally applies to historic parks that extend beyond single properties or buildings.

National Memorial

A national memorial is commemorative of a historic person or episode; it need not occupy a site historically connected with its subject.

National Battlefield

This general title includes national battlefield, national battlefield park, national battlefield site, and national military park. In 1958, an NPS committee recommended national battlefield as the single title for all such park lands.

National Cemetery

There are presently 14 national cemeteries in the National Park System, all of which are administered in conjunction with an associated unit and are not accounted for separately.

National Recreation Area

Twelve NRAs in the system are centered on large reservoirs and emphasize water-based recreation. Five other NRAs are located near major population centers. Such urban parks combine scarce open spaces with the preservation of significant historic resources and important natural areas in location that can provide outdoor recreation for large numbers of people.

National Seashore

Ten national seashores have been established on the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts; some are developed and some relatively primitive. Hunting is allowed at many of these sites.

National Lakeshore

National lakeshores, all on the GreatLakes, closely parallel the seashores in character and use.

National River

There are several variations to this category: national river and recreation area, national scenic river, wild river, etc. The first was authorized in 1964 and others were established following passage of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.

National Parkway

The title parkway refers to a roadway and the parkland paralleling the roadway. All were intended for scenic motoring along a protected corridor and often connect cultural sites.

National Trail

National scenic trails and national historic trails are the titles given to these linear parklands (over 3,600 miles) authorized under the National Trails System Act of 1968.

Affiliated Areas


In an Act of August 18, 1970, the National Park System was defined in law as, "any area of land and water now or hereafter administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the National Park Service for park, monument, historic, parkway, recreational or other purposes."The Affiliated Areas comprise a variety of locations in the United States and Canada that preserve significant properties outside the National Park System. Some of these have been recognized by Acts of Congress, others have been designated national historic sites by the Secretary of the Interior under authority of the Historic Sites Act of 1935. All draw on technical or financial aid from the National Park Service.

Other Designations

Some units of the National Park System bear unique titles or combinations of titles, like the White House and Prince William Forest Park.



If you go to the web sites of these units, you can see rules specific to the unit and all that I have looked at contain the drone ban.​
 
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